From Nineteen Eighty-Four to Black Mirror, we are all familiar with the tropes of dystopian science fiction. But what if worst-case scenarios could actually become reality? And what if we could do something now to put the world on a better path?

In Avoiding the Worst: How to Prevent a Moral Catastrophe, I lay out the concept of risks of future suffering (s-risks). With a focus on s-risks that are both realistic and avoidable, I argue that we have strong reasons to consider their reduction a top priority. Finally, I turn to the question of what we can do to help steer the world away from s-risks and towards a brighter future.

You can get the book for free on Amazon or read the PDF version.

Other writings

Please note that these are older posts that do not necessarily reflect my current thinking.

S-risks

Thoughts on cause prioritization

The future of artificial intelligence

Worst-case AI safety

Surrogate goals

Miscellaneous

Further reading